Monday, February 28, 2011

Wow, I have to say the Academy Awards ceremony this year was THE most boring, humorless, nap-worthy ceremony in recent memory. So, Black folks we may have not been nominated this year, but the bright spot is not having to sit through that mess. Who wrote those shockingly-bad, predictable jokes? Who produced it? There were so many awkward silences and so much nervous laughter. Now I love Anne Hathaway. She's the dream lead in one of my rom-coms, and she did the best she could with what she was given. BTW, didn't know Miss Thing could sing. I was impressed. Not as fond of James Franco, but I was expecting his usual brand of low-key, hipster humor. The commercials for the awards were pretty funny. BUT Mr. Franco and Ms. Hathaway bombed. It's not completely their fault. They didn't write it, but they did look mad uncomfortable up there. Epic fail to appeal to the much-desired younger demographic.

As far as the actual awards went there were no surprises. Everyone's been loving on the King's Speech for the past few months and it won the night. I, frankly, found the film repetitive and dull. There were some good moments to be sure, but best film of the year? I always wonder with these British monarch biopics, if when Americans profess their love, they are just trying to seem smart and cultured. Whatevs. I'm obviously out of step with the Academy. I only got two of the major awards right: Toy Story 3 for best animated film and The Social Network for best adapted screenplay.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

I'll be watching the red carpet and the Oscars tonight. To make it more amusing for myself, I'm gonna tweet my sweet and snarky comments about everything from fashion to my feelings about the winners. If you'd like to follow along, I'm @gracyact on Twitter.

So in preparation, check out the nominees and my picks for who I think should get Oscar gold this year after the jump.

As you all well know, tonight is Oscar night! Meh. Well, since this Academy Awards will not be recognizing any African American actors or filmmakers, I decided to feature one of the great Black Oscars in history: Oscar Micheaux.

Known as the 1st African American to produce a feature-length film, Mr. Micheaux was the prolific writer, director and producer of more than 44 films between 1919 and 1948! You KNOW that had to be a struggle. I mean, we weren't even allowed to sit at the front of the bus yet, and this brotha was cranking out amazing, revolutionary films. His films dealt with the African American struggle for equality in a hostile world. Read more about him after the jump.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Hey everyone. As promised, here is a link to my article about being a struggling artist on Madame Noire. I hope that regardless of where you are in your career, you are finding joy and fulfillment in what you do. Remember, even if we are not rolling in dough right now (I know some of y'all are:), we are lucky to be blessed with passion, talent and the guts to go after our dreams. Love y'all. Anyway, check out the article and comment if you like it!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

I haven't posted in a while because I've been hustling. No, not street pharmacy or the kind that requires clear heels:) I've writing my own work and trying to get it out there. I've also been writing for a few web sites including my favorite, Madame Noire. Right now, I'm writing an article for Madame Noire about living life as a starving artist. I'll post a link to it when it's up on the site. Anyway, I was looking for some artsy quotes for the article and I found two really great ones from singer/songwriter Jason Mraz. I hope they inspire you as they did me.

"Another year is fast approaching. Go be that starving artist you’re afraid to be. Open up that journal and get poetic finally. Volunteer. Suck it up and travel. You were not born here to work and pay taxes. You were put here to be part of a vast organism to explore and create. Stop putting it off. The world has much more to offer than what’s on 15 televisions at TGI Fridays. Take pictures. Scare people. Shake up the scene. Be the change you want to see in the world." - Jason Mraz

"Frustration and Love can’t exist in the same place at the same time, so get real and start doing what you would rather be doing in life. Love your life. All of it. Even the heavy shit that happened to you when you were 8. All of it was and IS perfect." -Jason Mraz

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About Grace

I'm a writer living in NYC and sometimes I have my days of whimsy and tree-hugging idealism. Then there are the days when I'm a dark little raincloud of angst and self-loathing. A lot of days actually... most days? How do I feel about being an artistic being? Empowered, happy and filled with mind-numbing fear.

This blog is about things and people that inspire me, challenge me, make me mad and make me laugh.

Charming book. I really liked that it can make you take a hard look at the unrealistic fantasies that some of us harbor about real love. Jane goes through a journey of self-discovery by going on holiday to a place that mimmicks Jane Austen'...